Four held for stalking on Delhi Metro

In the first such case reported from the Delhi Metro, four men have been arrested for stalking a woman on the train.

The incident took place on Friday night when the men, who boarded a Jehangirpuri-bound train from Huda City Centre station, started following the woman and passing lewd comments.

At the Iffco Chowk station, the woman made a call to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) helpline, following which the accused were apprehended and handed over to the Delhi Police.

They have been booked for stalking — made a punishable offence under the new anti-rape law passed following the December 16 Delhi gang rape — and other sections of the Indian Penal Code. If convicted, they face between one and three years in jail.

“The woman boarded the Delhi Metro with two friends. Four men, all residents of Shahdara, started teasing them and passing lewd comments,” a senior CISF official said. A team was immediately dispatched after the woman, who was not travelling in the ladies coach, called for help at 10.30pm.

The CISF helpline, launched in May 2012, used to receive about 350 calls per month till December. But after the gang rape, that number has gone up to 700.